The launching pad for Tim Ritchie's career in aviation maintenance was a classroom in Rhodes Hall at Columbus Technical Institute.

When Ritchie attended college, CTI had not yet built its Aviation Maintenance Facility at Bolton Field. The labs and classrooms for aviation maintenance students were in the basement of Rhodes Hall in "Phase 1" of the brand-new campus on Spring Street.

Ritchie, who earned an associate degree in Aviation Maintenance Technology in 1972, was the longtime chief of maintenance for Limited Brands Inc. Flight Department before his retirement. As chief of maintenance, Ritchie supervised many other graduates of the Columbus State program, who are FAA-certified in Airframe and Powerplant maintenance.

The Cleveland native's journey into aviation began in 1965 when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. After leaving the military and earning his degree at CTI, Ritchie began working at Executive Jet Aviation, which is now known at NetJets, for more than six years. He moved over Limited Brands Aviation, where worked for 33 years.

"My Columbus State education has been extremely beneficial," Ritchie says. "We had some great instructors at in the Aviation Department at CTI - Dick Hayes and the late Frank Linnaberry, to just name a few."